FBI agent Erica Reed has an uncanny talent: she can see the past and piece together how a crime unfolded. But not even this sixth sense could save her younger brother, Scott, from a brutal serial killer. Three years later, the investigation into Scott’s murder has gone cold -- but Erica’s work has only just begun.

Reviews

“It is soaked with gloomy style, is gorgeous to look at and listen to, sets up its plot points with great precision, and takes off in the third act as it builds to a huge climax with a disquieting final shot that makes me genuinely eager to play the second episode.”
3.5/5 – Adventure Gamers

“An exciting story, an interesting main character, challenging puzzles, and a grandiose. atmosphere make for me this first episode a worthy spiritual successor of the Gabriel Knight series, which hopefully will be even better with each new episode. Besides The Walking Dead is the best for me so far (serious) Adventure game experience of the year.”
85% – Adventure-Treff

Season One

Order the Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller - Season One to get all four episodes (The Hangman, The Wise Monkey, The Oracle, and The Cain Killer), plus the prequel e-comic, Provenance!

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About This Game

FBI agent Erica Reed has an uncanny talent: she can see the past and piece together how a crime unfolded. But not even this sixth sense could save her younger brother, Scott, from a brutal serial killer. Three years later, the investigation into Scott’s murder has gone cold -- but Erica’s work has only just begun.

Jump into Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller, the exciting four-part series that brings Erica face to face with the deranged demons of her past. A serial killer is loose in Boston -- one who seems to be leaving deliberate clues that only Erica, with her unique post-cognitive abilities, can uncover. Is she finally on her way to solving Scott’s murder? Or, blinded by vengeance, is she falling into a trap that could cost Erica her life? And how does this new killer know her secret?

Winner of six 2013 Reader’s Choice Aggie Awards, including Game of the Year, this edition of Cognition includes everything in the original game, plus brand new director commentary for all 4 episodes and exclusive content including concept art, storyboards, outtakes and other behind-the-scenes material about the development!

Developed by Phoenix Online Studios (makers of the King’s Quest spin-off The Silver Lining), with contributions from veteran game designer Jane Jensen (Gabriel Knight, Gray Matter) and comic book artist Romano Molenaar (Batman, X-Men, The Darkness), Cognition is a thrilling adventure that grips you and won’t let go.

System Requirements

Windows

Mac OS X

Minimum:

OS: XP/Vista/7

Processor: 2.0 GHz

Memory: 2 GB RAM

Graphics: ATI or NVidia with 512 MB RAM**

Hard Drive: 7 GB available space

Additional Notes: ** - Not recommended for play on Intel systems with integrated/shared video memory

Recommended:

OS: XP/Vista/7

Processor: 2.0 GHz

Memory: 4 GB RAM

Graphics: ATI or NVidia with 1 GB RAM**

Hard Drive: 7 GB available space

Additional Notes: ** - Not recommended for play on Intel systems with integrated/shared video memory

Minimum:

OS: Snow Leopard (10.6.X)

Processor: 2.0 GHz*

Memory: 2 GB RAM

Graphics: ATI or NVidia with 512 MB RAM**

Hard Drive: 7 GB available space

Additional Notes: * - For Mac systems, an Intel-based processor is required., ** - Not recommended for play on Intel systems with integrated/shared video memory

Recommended:

OS: Snow Leopard (10.6.X)

Processor: 2.0 GHz*

Memory: 4 GB RAM

Graphics: ATI or NVidia with 1 GB RAM**

Hard Drive: 7 GB available space

Additional Notes: * - For Mac systems, an Intel-based processor is required., ** - Not recommended for play on Intel systems with integrated/shared video memory

"Cognition promises to be an exciting game for adventure fans with a rich story and beautiful (and creepy) visuals!"

This is what Jane Jensen says about this game. If the mastermind of Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers would make such an appraisal, why would you even care about reading my own opinion? Well, maybe you have never heard of Jane Jensen. You have never played Gabriel Knight. You may have never even played a Point-and-Click Adventure at all. Go ahead, read further.

You will find yourself taking the role of Erica Reed, a Boston FBI Special Agent, accompanied by her partner John McCoy. Right after the start they are rushing to a cemetery in order to rescue Erica’s brother Scott, who is being held captive by a psychopath called "The Cain Killer". He is known for gruesome murders involving siblings who get tortured with devices you would only expect to see in a Saw movie. Erica owns a special power, the cognition, that only she and her partner John know about. Explained simply: She sees what others did in the past, trying to use this to her own advantage. Right now you, the player, will make her use of it to get into the crypt where Scott is being held. If you read the Official Description carefully, you will already know how this is going to end..

3 Years Later..Erica spent the last 3 years trying to find the man who did this to her brother. Having not found him and losing control of her life she is forced to close the Cain Case and move on. But soon after she begins to investigate the next murder, she finds clues - left for her. Clues pointing out that whoever killed that person knew about Erica’s "special gift". Is it the Cain Killer again? A new serial killer? And why would he know about Erica’s Cognition Ability? With the help of Rose, the owner of an antique shop, medium and expert for psychic abilities, and her Partner John, Erica tries to solve this puzzle in the four acts of Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller.

Use your mouse to click, Erica moves, doubleclick and she runs. Press Space to highlight Objects to interact with. Congratulations, you just learned the basic controls. Some objects can be used, others can even be combined in your inventory. This is the bread and butter of Adventure Games but learning to use this efficiently will save time, time you will need to solve some of the puzzles this game has to offer. I had a tough time with some of them but if you get stuck there is a really nice hint system. This games story is amazing and it knows how to keep you engaged if you get stuck. Ericas special power, the cognition, is key for nearly every problem you will get confronted with. It requires some trial and error but it adds possibilities other games simply can’t offer. Your power will evolve while progressing, forcing you to rethink situations, finding new ways to solve puzzles.

The overall setting is dark and stylish, combined with cutscenes that appear in nicely drawn comicstrips. I must admit that I encountered some bugs while playing like mouths that looked like broken boxes. This is nothing that breaks the game but tends to look a bit funny sometimes. What keeps you really entertained instead is the amazing soundtrack which all of you should give a listen even after finishing Cognition. Whether your heart needs pumping or your soul cries for relaxation, this games music makes sure that things start to get emotional. Believe me.

Big Text, Quick Facts:

Pro:

An intriguing, dark and mature story with an exceptional plot.

Interesting main protagonist..

..and many antagonists

Dark graphics with comic looks

Veterans AND Newbies will quickly get used to controls and mechanics

Fresh take on problem solving with Ericas Special Powers

Rewarding puzzles

Nice hint system

Amazing soundtrack

Con:

Comic Look (listed as pro but not everybody likes that kind of style)

Puzzles might get tough sometimes, literally forcing you to use the hint system

Graphical bugs

At some points I simply felt overwhelmed with where to go or start

Too hard for kids eyes and ears

Summary:

If you haven’t shut your mouth with shaking hands, asking how all of this could have happened, you haven’t played Cognition yet. Be prepared for a clever, dark and brutal thriller that plays with emotions - but brace yourself for some tough puzzles that might discourage you at first sight. Do not let this happen. Use your Hint System if it gets to hard and enjoy the plot.

There is something I have to add for those of you still hesitating. I haven`t played Gabriel Knight or any game connected with Jane Jensen before either, so my praising words should be an assurance for all of you.

Serial killers, torture devices and psychic powers - the story of Cognition is a mix of Saw and The X-Files. You play as FBI agent Erica Reed, trying to solve a series of serial killings with the help of a unique psychic ability. Each episode focuses on 1 serial killer, but there's an overarching story connecting all of them. I would like to say more, but I'm afraid of revealing too much.

Gameplay-wise, the best thing about the game is the hint-system. If you're ever stuck, you can message one of Erica's friends in-game with your phone. The hints are helpful most of the time, but they won't give you the answers outright, so you still keep a sense of accomplishment when making progress.

Another nice feature is that there's a button that reveals all hotspots, so you won't be pixel-hunting!

The graphics are decent enough although the character animations aren't the best. The music and voice acting are excellent though. Some of my favourite tracks are played when you're solving a puzzle or trying to escape a scary situation.

Complaints:1) A few logic glitches allow you to do the same thing more than once, but the effect is the same. Luckily this doesn't actually hinder progress, but it may confuse the player a little.2) Dialogue is mostly skippable, but there are some you can't skip, and it gets annoying when it occurs in the middle of a puzzle.

Overall verdict: 8.5/10One of the best point-and-click adventure games ever.

I will easily bring this game up as a great example of Adventure games. Extremely engaging and a great cinematic experience. The top notch games for me were always the broken sword games and only did this affect me to the point of comparing it to them. It is also good to note that very few point and click games put the player in tense situations and actually punish them for the lack of some choices (Pre Telltale mainstream era :P). What are Adventure games without elaborate detective stories? Loved every second of it and it is rare for me to enjoy great voice acting. The performance here was amazing and I can barely find a single flaw in it. The animation is a bit limited here and sometimes there are animation bugs and glitches, but the story and the writing easily makes up for what it lacks. If anyone is interested in a great mystery/detective story, look no further. I forgot to mention it is made by the Gabriel Knight developers, need I say more? :D